HELLO, HOW CAN WE HELP YOU ?

 

Welcome to Horizon Sails support. Here you will find the answers to your most frequently asked questions, how to solve them and how to get help. Please, check the articles to get help, or just get familiar with our site and its features.

 

Must I have my measurements in order to get a sail quote ?

Our database provides rig dimensions for more than 6000 sail boats, so you can find your sail area to get an instant online sail quote. However, you will need to fill out our measurement form if you need a custom quote and to ensure your sail fits your actual boat (eg. it may have been specified with a different rig option when new, or been modified subsequently).

 

Do I need to measure my rig ?

Measuring your rig is the only way to be sure your sail will fit perfectly.

 

Do you need to complete a measurement form before I purchase ?

We don’t need your sail measurement form until you confirm your order; but it is possible the sail price might change slightly if there is a difference in the actual measured sail area, compared with your original online quote.

 

How do I measure my sails ?

Measuring your sails is much easier than you think. Take a halyard, a long tape measure (available online for under EU€10) and follow our measurement form guide. We will provide technical assistance for you, so you can contact us if you have questions. You should send us your sail measurements using our carefully designed measurement forms. If you can, send us your boat's sail plan or designer's specifications as well and as many specifics about your boat and your new sail as possible. We are here to make exactly the sail you want. You can also send pictures to illustrate the points that you consider important. To avoid errors, we carefully check your dimensions compared to the dimensions referenced in our sailmaker's database.

 

Customer service ?

We try to answer to your requests for sails quotations on the same working day. Whatever the sail ordered, we always contact customers to understand the spirit of your project and carefully check the details. Particular attention is paid to choice of sail cloth, the appropriate cloth weight and the finishes appropriate for your sailing program. The price quoted will be guaranteed, even if some minor adjustments are necessary later in our sail loft.

 

Can you take the measures on my boat ?

We offer a measurement service for sailboats located in the Mediterranean, between Genoa and Portbou and Martinique (French West Indies). The service cost EU€ 159, -

 

What is your production time ?

We permanently hold a stock of sail cloth to guarantee short manufacturing times. The average manufacture time is about 3 weeks (2 weeks for spinnakers, gennakers and accessories), excluding delivery. It starts with the receipt of your complete order (order, measurement and deposit paid). You can always check the status of your order by sending an email to our customer service team.

 

Free shipping ?

We ship worldwide. Horizon Sails offers Free Shipping on most sails delivered to continental Europe. Generally speaking, if your order a sail, we will ship it for free within Europe (including UK). We use DPD, DHL, FedEx, UPS, depending on the order and shipping destination. Delivery to UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain and all Europe is FREE. Delivery takes about 5-7 days. Alternatively, you can collect your sails from our office in Toulon, southern France. We also ship our sails worldwide to the address of your choice at reasonable prices. Prices, conditions and restrictions vary from country to country. Please, send us an email and our team will provide you with the best shipping price as soon as possible. If you are sailing, we can ship your order to a port, the harbour master's office, your hotel or other commercial or residential address.

 

Where are manufactured your sails ?

A new sail is often synonymous with a large investment. Our low price policy allows sailors to renew their sails and accessories at a lower cost. This is why our sails are manufactured in our own sail loft in Central Europe and sold directly on the internet. With this optimized model, you benefit from the lowest prices with the quality and even better delivery times and guarantees than from many other famous sailmakers. When manufacturing our sails, we follow very accurate specifications for guaranteeing quality, price and a fast lead time. The greatest care is taken in the production of our sails.

 

Guarantee ?

We offer a 2 Year guarantee as standard for all our sails, against manufacture defects, fabric, thread and all original accessories we fit to the sail.

 

Payment & Price ?

Only 30% deposit is requested with your order. It can be paid online, by credit card or bank transfer. The balance is due prior to shipment or at delivery if collected from our offices. We will send you photographs of your finished sail when we ask for the balance to be paid. The production time begins on receipt of your order, the deposit and your complete rig dimensions. Paying online by credit card allows you to benefit from PayPal buyer guarantees. If the item you ordered online is not delivered or does not correspond to the description, the total amount of your purchase is refunded to you.

 

And your after-sales service ?

From purchase to delivery and even after the sale, we support you. All repairs are carried out by us using a shuttle bag. There is no need to look for a sailmaker near you.

 

Meet our team ?

Horizon Sails is a team of sailing enthusiasts and each member brings unique skills and experience to our sail loft. We work together to support our customers with efficiency and honesty. If you wish, you can visit us at our offices in southern France, near Toulon and Hyères, for any questions relating to the sail loft. You can also collect your new sails and accessories in person from our premises.

 

What to know before buying a sail ?

Buying a new sail is not always easy. In fact, there are so many sail lofts, options, prices and technical terms. Some of the key sailing terms that you need are shown below:-


Crosscut panel design: A sail building technique in which all the panels are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the sail leech.


Radial panel design: A sail building technique with radial panels. Radial sails offer additional strength and very good shape retention.


Loose foot: A loose-footed sail is only attached to the boom at the tack and clew. This allows you to achieve a substantial degree of extra fullness, to improve performance when reaching or running.


Outhaul: The control line that pulls the mainsail clew towards the end of the boom.


Cunningham: A mainsail control that adjusts the position of the draft in a sail by changing the tension in the luff.


Reefs: Reefing makes the mainsail smaller in stronger winds. Each row of reefs is reinforced with a patch and grommet at the luff (for the tack horn) and a grommet at the leech (for the reefing outhaul).


Battens: Battens are long slats or rods that run through part of the sail, parallel to the boom. Full length battens run from leech to luff and provide better shape holding and longer sail life. Some mainsails have three partial and one full top batten, called semi full battens and offer the ability to adjust the sail shape more easily.


UV protection stripe
: A strip of UV resistant sailcloth, sewn to the leech and foot of a furling genoa or jib, to protect the sail from UV degradation when furled.


Foam luff: A foam luff pad provides better sail shape, by flattening the headsail when it is furled, to offer enhanced performance to windward in reefed conditions.


Leech line: A line which adjusts the tension along the leech to stop fluttering.

 

Telltales: Thin fabric streamers, attached to the sail to indicate wind flow.


Draft stripe: A horizontal stripe that helps you see the draft depth and position in the sail.